High Hopes: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Sex Pistols at the Free Trade Hall. Ramones at the Roundhouse. Some gigs are so pivotal they inspire waves of people to start their own bands. In the case of Australian septet King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, their epiphany came in December 2009, when a bunch of US garage rockers breezed into town.

“We saw Thee Oh Sees at our local hangout, The Nash,” explains the band’s drummer/theremin player Eric Moore. “It was a weeknight and there were only about 20 people there. But everyone was in some way affected by the show.”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Moore, Stu Mackenzie (vocals/guitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (harmonica/synths/vocals), Cook Craig and Joe Walker (guitars), Lucas Skinner (bass) and Michael Cavanagh (drums) – are now spearheading a vibrant scene in Geelong. An hour’s drive from Melbourne, the area is also home to upcoming bands like The Frowning Clouds and The Living Eyes, under the roof of psych-garage label, Anti Fade.